Leon suddenly realized just how much his mindset had changed since the first time he encountered a witch. Back then, his first thought would have been to flee immediately, but now, the most he felt was a quickened heartbeat due to the tension.

Leon briefly glanced at Kito, who was standing protectively by his side.

"?"

Kito looked at Leon with a puzzled expression. Leon communicated with her mentally.

[Can you handle her?]

[If you're confident you won't get caught up in the aftermath, then yes.]

Before Leon could even think about a way to avoid getting swept up in a battle between high-level Insight magicians, the witch raised her hand. A black flame ignited on her palm.

Leon’s gaze briefly flicked to his left arm, which had once been burned. The memory of that injury was still fresh.

Without hesitation, the witch hurled the fireball straight at Leon.

‘Crazy woman!’

The thought that she would attack so violently after just saying she found him made Leon's temper flare. He wasn’t the type to respect an enemy that tried to kill him without provocation.

Kito immediately opened her mouth, unleashing her breath attack to counter the witch’s magic.

Leon quickly moved to avoid the impact zone of the two clashing spells.

Flames scattered, and the breath attack dissolved into smoke that spread through the air, causing the leaves of nearby trees to wither instantly. After just two or three collisions, the force of their magic grew too powerful to contain.

“Wait!”

Leon called out, not entirely sure if the witch would listen, so he quickly added more.

“What do you want from me?”

She had said she was looking for him, so there must have been a reason. If it was related to Gigantes, there might be room for negotiation.

“…I’m curious.”

“What?”

But the witch’s response was unexpected. Leon frowned in confusion.

“Curious about what?”

“How do you keep disappearing without me noticing?”

So that was it. Leon wasn’t sure if he should be relieved that she wasn’t after Gigantes or worried about her relentless obsession with this mystery.

Leon kept his composure and continued questioning her.

“If you’re curious, you could have just asked. Why attack me out of nowhere?”

“Good point.”

“…”

The witch lowered her hand, which caught Leon off guard due to how easily she seemed to give up.

‘Isn’t she a bit too simple?’

Of course, this conversation was only possible because Leon had the power to resist her. He remained on guard as he asked his next question.

“If I tell you, will you leave?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m still curious.”

“About what?”

“About you.”

As their exchange began to resemble a casual conversation, Kito, who had been watching the witch closely, spoke coldly.

“What exactly is happening right now?”

Leon quickly reassured Kito mentally.

[I think I can solve this with words.]

[Do you really need to? This is my territory, after all.]

[Trust me.]

[…Fine.]

Kito retracted her fangs but continued to glare sharply at the witch.

“You’re curious about me?”

“Yes, I don’t understand how you keep defying my expectations…”

The witch muttered to herself, sounding somewhat absent-minded. She seemed oddly naive.

“Defying your expectations?”

“This is the first time I’ve failed to kill someone I intended to.”

“So you’re curious about how I managed it?”

The witch nodded, as if it was only natural.

“Tell me.”

“No.”

“Then die.”

“Will killing me help you understand?”

“No.”

“Then there’s no point in killing me, right?”

“…True…”

What’s with this dense woman?

‘Maybe…’

Leon hesitated for a moment before making a suggestion.

“How about we make a deal?”

“A deal?”

“You said you’re curious about me. If you want to know, do something for me in return.”

The witch wrinkled her nose slightly, clearly displeased. Normally, a deal between an intermediate secret arts magician and a high-level Insight magician wouldn’t even be considered.

But she was curious about Leon, and Leon had the means to resist her brute force. They had reached a point where they could negotiate.

“You’ve already realized that killing me won’t solve your problem, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“So, what do you say next?”

“What do you…want…?”

“Exactly!”

Leon raised a finger.

“If you grant me one favor, I’ll tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know about the dark magicians?”

Leon intended to have the witch deal with the dark magicians while he made his way to the empire. It would take time for her to handle the dark magicians who mass-produced high-level magicians, and the dark magicians would be troubled by her interference.

“I know about the dark magicians…”

“What’s your relationship with them?”

“I don’t know.”

So, they’re just strangers? Leon had to interpret her extremely short responses.

“I’m in a really difficult situation with them.”

“You want me to take care of them?”

“Yes… Can you do that?”

The witch nodded.

“Yes. You want me to kill them all, right?”

“Uh…”

Is that really okay? Is it even possible?

“Do you know a group called Tenera?”

“No.”

“…”

Leon didn’t know how to distinguish the Tenera faction either. The only method he knew was to check for their insignia, but he couldn’t exactly ask her to inspect each one individually.

Leon had no fondness for the dark magicians and figured that if the witch eliminated all of them, it would take her longer, which would buy him some time.

“If you kill them all and come back, I’ll tell you.”

“You’ll tell me everything I’m curious about?”

“…”

What was she so curious about? Leon hesitated, wondering if he was oversimplifying things.

‘Am I underestimating her?’

She had agreed so easily, making Leon wonder if he was missing something. When he hesitated to answer, the witch spoke again.

“I can follow you for the rest of your life.”

“…”

Leon asked, feeling a bit unnerved.

“How did you find me in the first place?”

“My magic was on you.”

“So, you can always know where I am?”

“Yes.”

[Light magic can purify it.]

Kito informed Leon mentally, and he felt a bit more at ease.

“You’ve known my location this whole time?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you just coming to me now?”

“Because you kept disappearing.”

So, she can’t track me when I’m inside the orb.

“Did you come to the Beast Forest just to find me?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re the one who drove the rulers out of the center?”

The witch tilted her head.

“I thought you were heading for the center.”

“So, you were in the center?”

“I went there first, but annoying things kept attacking me.”

“So it was you…”

Leon sighed and suggested.

“If you don’t trust me, we can make a pact.”

“…I can’t make a pact.”

[Witches are forbidden from making pacts.]

Kito’s words made sense to Leon, though he didn’t let it show.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you.”

“…Okay.”

As the witch turned to leave, Leon stopped her.

“Wait, before you go.”

Leon pulled out the compass from his subspace pouch.

“Just one drop of blood.”

“…Why?”

“So I can know your location too.”

“There’s no need. I’ll find you.”

“…I need it.”

“Really?”

The witch obediently cut her finger and floated a drop of blood toward Leon. He placed the blood on the compass.

The drop quickly absorbed into the compass, and the needle immediately pointed toward the witch, trembling intensely.

While Leon smiled with satisfaction, the witch, still expressionless, said,

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Safe travels.”

Leon and the witch exchanged farewells, to Kito’s disbelief. She looked back and forth between the departing witch and Leon.

“This conversation is truly incomprehensible. Are you really going to tell her about the orb if she asks?”

“If she deals with all the dark magicians and manages to find me again… I’ll have to.”

“Do you think she can’t do it?”

“I think it will take a long time. By then, I’ll need to have grown strong enough not to be swayed by her.”

“You’re already strong enough not to be swayed.”

“I know. But I can’t just let you do all the fighting.”

“Hm… That’s a commendable thought.”

Kito responded lazily, transforming back into her human form and lying down on Leon’s head.

While training at Kito’s lair, Leon had once asked her about runic script.

“I don’t really know.”

She had only heard the name but didn’t know the details.

Runic script had been forgotten by the time Kito was born, with knowledge of it passed down only among humans. Considering that even Kito, who had lived for a thousand years, didn’t know much about it, Leon realized that runic script wouldn’t be easy to learn.

The best option left was to go to the place with the highest level of magical knowledge among humans.

‘Maybe I can learn about it in the empire?’

Arpina had mentioned the Dercantia Empire. However, crossing the border required a pass, and to get a pass, Leon needed to verify his identity. Being underage, Leon didn’t have any documents to prove his identity.

After some thought, he came up with a solution: taking on a commission from the Adventurer’s Guild. He had a bronze adventurer’s badge, which could serve as proof of identity. By accepting a mission to escort a caravan into the empire, he could cross the border.

After a week of traveling, Leon emerged from the Beast Forest and headed straight for the Adventurer’s Guild.

Returning to Crest, the free city, for the first time in nearly a year didn’t evoke any particular sense of nostalgia in Leon. Having spent the past year solely focused on training, he was somewhat detached from the passage of time.

Inside the guild building, several adventurers were seated. Leon first checked the bulletin board where the missions were posted.

[Escort Mission for Dercantia Expedition]

He found the mission he wanted but hesitated to accept it.

[Requirement: Silver Adventurer]

As a bronze adventurer, Leon couldn’t take the mission. He went to the front desk and approached the receptionist.

“What do I need to do to become a silver adventurer?”

“Uh… You’re a magician, right?”

The receptionist seemed to recognize Leon. He took out his bronze adventurer badge.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Please wait a moment. Normally, you need to accumulate achievements to qualify for a silver rank, but for magicians, the criteria are a bit ambiguous…”

The receptionist asked Leon to wait and brought over Maxius.

When Maxius saw Leon, his eyes widened.

“Teo?”

“Hello.”

“Where have you been for the past year…?”

“Didn’t Daife tell you?”

“Oh, he did. He said you were gaining experience and would return soon. But I’m surprised you suddenly want to become a silver adventurer.”

“I feel a bit bad, only coming when I need something.”

“No need to apologize. This is what adventurers do. There’s no need to feel sorry.”

As Leon and Maxius chatted, the noise level inside the guild began to rise.

“Daife’s party is back.”

“They swept through Zone 2 again this time?”

“They’re really on a roll.”

“It looks like they’ll reach silver rank soon.”

“Lucky them… I heard they got a magician’s artifact.”

“They really hit the jackpot.”

Leon’s ears perked up at the familiar name. When he turned his head, he saw four people entering through the door.

Three of them had familiar faces: Daife, Karin, and Linne.

‘So they’re still alive.’

Their armor had significantly improved since Leon last saw them. Daife, who had worn leather armor before, was now clad in plate armor. He also wore the green whistle Leon had given him as a necklace.

‘Looks like the guardian golem whistle is serving him well.’

Daife, looking more seasoned, approached the desk, but as he did, his eyes met Leon’s.

“Huh…? Huh?! Magician?!”

His voice boomed across the entire first floor.